Question 3

Frampton strongly disagreed with the notion that public spaces are obsolete now that newer technologies, such as the television, preoccupied the spare time of many Americans. Robert Venturi, in his writings, even went far enough to suggest that Americans SHOULD be in front of the television rather than in public spaces.

I understand the possibility of Frampton dishonestly framing the debate to paint Venturi as reckless, but I do agree with his stance. The need of physical public spaces will never disappear simply because of technological advancements. Modern humans have an intrinsic desire to share spaces to physically gather and exchange ideas. Even new forms of public spaces are emerging and adapting to changes in culture. This is evident in recent movements to create new urban parks in unconventional spaces (like the Highline).

question tres

3. what is Frampton's critique of Venturi (and Scott-Brown)? do you agree?

I think Frampton's critique of Venturi stems essentially from Frampton's earlier diagnosis of the Avant-Garde and its lack of critical substance, coherence, and consistency. The post-modern architect, against which Frampton rails, is directly embodied by Venturi - who Framton claims to be "reactionary". In this sense then, I agree - Venturi simply observes the state of society, reformulates it into an architectual idea, and expounds upon it. Architecture is art, art is a commodity, and architecture is a commodity. However, i feel that Frampton's embrace of "Critical Regionalism" is no less manipulative and reactionary than Venturi's free-wheeling brand of post-modernism - infact, it is a sub-movement. Frampton's labels are too flimsy and general to be taken seriously; his views, too two-dimensional. Architecture today is being pushed back and forth, as well as in every direction away and towards the center point (0,0), the status quo, of placelessness and meaninglessness. Framton's "Arrie-Garde" IS the avant-garde - as is Venturi's post-modernism as is deconstructionism. In this sense then, while Framton's critique is true, it is ONLY completely true within the logical and linguistic framework that he has set up.

Is meaning determined by place? or the individual experiences of people on which architecture has only a very limited effect?

our first online debate--excellent!

1 - How to Connect a Building to its Place

Frampton claims that for architecture to remain a critical practice, it must both remove itself from extensive use of advanced technologies as well as resist the tendency to regress into the architectural forms of the pre-modernized world. By doing this, architecture "has the capacity to cultivate a resistant, identity-giving culture.

To create an architecture that has a connection to place, Frampton proposes we follow the strategies of Critical Regionalism. The key is to "mediate the impact of universal civilzation with elements derived indirectly from the peculiarities of a particular place". One must create architecture that is separate from the typical manifestations of world culture. This means getting away from the exotic forms that have been made possible and even typical by advancing technologies.

To create an architecture that is regionalized, it is best to take inspiration from the natural elements inherent to a region, such as topography, climate, and local light. Regarding topography, it would encourage placelessness to bulldoze a site so one could build from a flat base. One should terrace the ground and build into it, and in doing this the architecture would be acknowledging the history of the site, it would embody "its archaeological pst and its subsequent cultivation and transformation across time". By building this way, fundamental elements of the site are incorporated into the architecture in a way that is not overt or distasteful. Frampton dispises the air conditioning. He hates it because it is applied everywhere and it makes the climate of the place basically irrelevant. Frampton advocates attention to the behavior of climate and light, and the appropriate incorporation of the favorable elements of these into a building with natural techniques. By this i mean building massing to optimize wind conditions or top lit galleries with a system to filter direct sunlight. In this way, users of the architecture will appreciate the behavior of the natural elements of a place, and therefore have a regionally specific experience.

Question 4 (Realm of the Automobile)

There is an interesting relationship between public and private within the realm of the automobile. People are in visible contact with other drivers throughout the day; however, windows tend to keep drivers from direct interaction. Thus there is still a distinct sense of privacy/security.

There is no true realm of the car, but with respect to actual motopia architecture I am inclined to agree with Julie Williams’ response to the question; albeit my point about direct contact. Nevertheless, I think Drew Ross brings up an interesting point about the domination of the car motivated architecture. I think a better solution than trying to “take back the built environment” is to integrate the two realms. Although safety is a common issue, future computer systems will have the ability to fully operate a car, allowing such an interaction to transpire.

Question 10

Frampton makes the argument that architecture today must assume an arriere-garde position, that it must distance itself from both "high tech" and old sentimentalism. He argues that chasing new technologies has the danger of wiping out the cultural roots of a civilization, or as Frampton writes, "the ground in which the mytho-ethical nucleus of a society might take root has become eroded by the rapacity of development. In the same way, digital fabrication has the same dangers of producing by means of the technology available rather than from the society it is for. Frampton talks about Jorn Utzon's Bagsvaerd Church as an example of a building that is only partially successful at taking on the benefits of prefabrication. The outer prefab concrete in-fill panels are great and economical due to its universality but the interior reinforced concrete shell speaks to a foreign form that does not relate to Western culture, but instead to eastern culture. One of Frampton's fears is that universalization destroys culture. In my sociology class over the summer, we learned that globalization actually creates two opposite responses. It both creates a homogenization as well as a greater investment to cultural roots. The greater investment to cultural roots is exactly the result of Frampton's and others who shared his fears. Then one can argue that both responses to universalization is good. A forward movement to economy, as well as global, shared understanding, as well as a movement to preserve the societies roots. Essentially the question for architecture is, "Is architecture suppose to be primarily from the society or for the society?"

Question 10

In the article, Frampton criticized (with good reason at the time) that mass production was limiting our design and inventive nature. This was because at the time, mass production was being used in an assembly line process, where the goal was to make the same product faster, and especially in a capitalist market, increase profits for shareholders of companies. The technology was new, people were excited, so they sought to search the limits of this new found idea of mass production. But, in modern times today, the main goal behind mass production now is to easily increase variance. With something like digital fabrication, you can easily have many different iterations of the same idea very easily, and they can all stem from the same concept. This is especially true for architecture students today.

A student that hand-draws all of his/her sections/plans and hand-crafts his/her models is less likely to change them after a midreview or desk crit because he/she has invested more time into them. But, a student that works with digital techniques, such as sketchup, rhino, CAD, or another program is more likely to change, and because of that, more likely to have a more developed project.

I think Frampton would have realized this change as time went on, and possibly switched sides in his argument.

2. what factors in modern building practice that contribute to 'placelessness'per the reading?

In the section "Culture versus nature," Frampton explains how modern building practices often turn their back on nature, resulting in "placelessness." He explains that leveling a site before construction is distancing the building from the surrounding context, and a better solution that engages the site would be to terrace the site and have the building form to the land. He continues to talk about light and how the use of artificial lighting versus natural light also contributes to placelessness. He explains that if natural light was used the space within a building would change "under the impact of time, season, humidity, etc" which create a very "place-conscious" effect. Lastly, he speaks of ventilation and how modern building practices rely on air conditions instead of natural ventilation which also distances the building from its environment.

QUESTION 10....mass production of the future

I think that his argument against mass production would evolve as he saw the advances in technology that we were experiencing. In his article he said that the optimized technology was only limiting ourselves. That might have been true when mass production was first created because the means of production was designed to increase the speed at which things were being made, since it was primarily used for war times. As time went on and the processes were fine tuned, this allowed people to start rethinking the idea of mass production and to create systems with much more flexibility in assembly and in form. When using mass production across cultures, Im not really sure how a culture can be preserved through mass production but I think that issue can resolve itsself. You cannot hold onto the past forever, you can only use that to help you evolve the design for the future. And I think that Frampton would have seen that eventually.

Question #4

I disagree with Frampton's statement that there is not true public place in America. In fact I believe that America is so much of a public realm, that people go home just to escape being in the public. Through out the day, Americans spend most of their time in the public realm. They travel on what could be considered the most public realm in America, the roads and highway system. This realm is used by nearly every American, and though it might not be the most enjoyable, beautiful space, it is our public realm. We use it to talk to each other through advertisements. We show off for each other with the types of cars that we drive. We express our emotions to each other through road rage. We have a public realm, but it is at a much large scale than a piazza could be.

Avant-garde and Arriere-garde

Avant-garde, by nature, is an idea that strongly facilitates the process of modernization. It is a liberative form, and often opposed to the ideas of the bourgeois culture. This type of architecture can nearly be defined by that of the Enlightenment, and is intrinsically progressive. This strong idea of liberation was further reinforced immediately following World War I, when science, medicine, and industry initiated the move toward urbanization. Frampton argues, however, that the avant-garde movement cannot be sustained in architecture because its utopian ideals have been replaced by rationality and reason.

Frampton continues that architecture can only be sustained and practiced today through an arriere-garde position. This is a view that both removes itself from the progressive ideals of the Enlightenment and resists the urge to return to pre-industrial architectural forms. More importantly, the arriere-gardist must not be solely committed to the advancement of technology. The result, he hypothesizes, is a culture with a strong sense of identity, that also maintains a connection with universal civilization.

Placelessness

Frampton gives an example of the modern art gallery and how it typically “renders the work placeless” due to the artificial lighting of the room and blocking out natural light which allows a handful of site specific ideas to be perceived such as “time of day, season, humidity, etc.” This can also be said for the air conditioner of the building. The two of these together (A/C and artificial lighting) allow for complete control of inside space with total disregard for what is happening right outside. Frampton’s solution for allowing daylight into the gallery without damaging the art was to allow light in through the top of the building, controlled by monitors to provide ambient light that can be arranged in different ways under different conditions. “Such conditions guarantee the appearance of a place-conscious poetic.”

A main idea Frampton presents for connecting building to place is the idea of tectonic rather than scenographic. This is saying that through the construction of the building we should demonstrate how its “form [adapts] so as to give expression of its function.” Also the building should need to be experienced by touch through actual presence in the building. If the building can be adequately “experienced” from a distance or even though a simple image, that building is placeless. The materiality and presence of the building should evoke emotion to one experiencing it and hat will further develop the building as “place-conscious.”

Question No. 4

4. do you agree with Framptons assessment that there is 'an absence of true public realm in the modern motopia"? expla

in

Yes, I completely agree with Frampton's assessment.

Later in the same paragraph as Frampton's assertion, he quotes Robert Venturi in his book Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture when he says "that Americans do not need piazzas, since they should be at home watching television."

Unfortunately, Venturi was right in his writing in 1966, and since then he has become even more so. The life of Americans has become very introverted and sedentary and thus architecture which encompasses an extended point of view towards the public realm has been left untouched a

nd wasted as people quickly drive in and out for convenience as they rush home to sit in their comfortable home "watching television."

It will take an entire effort on encompassing the public realm within a convenient application which can attempt to begin to re-train Americans and their habits of private personal space and seclusion. Only once Americans begin to use large open public spaces such as parks and plazas as the Europeans often do - with frequent gatherings and events whether planned or not - will we be able to take back over from the domination of the car upon the built environment.

EXAMPLES:

European Piazzas - Adjacent to the Plaza Mayor during the World Cup 2005

The Spanish Culture is to gather in huge groups in large open public spaces, spaces which rarely exist and are rarely used if they d

o exist in America. The Spaniards actually combine the public realm with Venturi's statement of American life in this example as Spanish National soccer fans are watching their team during one of the first round, round-robin games in the 2005 World Cup.

Retraining Americans - Chicago's Millennium Park

Here, Americans are being taught to enjoy public space which has previously been bare and lifeless, Americans need entertainment tied into their public spaces.

Frampton explains tectonic as the art of construction being raised from the ground. Also, it referred to the materials and strategies when approaching construction sites. Scenographic is the design and construction of a stage or area with many people. These are clearly different words. Back in 2003 in Milwaukee the first site that comes to mind for tectonic is the Calatrava "Bries de solei." The way it was constructed was beautiful, starting with the pylon and then actual museum structure. Then lastly the wings that move up and down shading the interior space.

#2

2. What factors in modern building practice that contributes to 'placelessness' per the reading?

Frampton says universal placelessness is the abstract concept of space as a more or less endless continuum of evenly subdivided spatial components or integers. We think about places as being defined by boundaries. In modern building practice, boundaries can be in the form of manipulation of land, like landscaping, a wall, a fence, an archway or anything that develops some sort of presence of something. Placelessness can be clearly defined or defined in a subtle way by things. Thinking about a dwelling, Heidegger says that the condition of dwelling and of being takes place in a space that is clearly bounded. There is a correlation between the act of being and the place it is practiced which is defined by boundaries. This “universal placelessness” may not be a specific place, but it is something that all people must feel because all living people are “being” somewhere.

Frampton's arriere-garde and avante-garde

The Avant-Garde architecture ventures into unknown territory. It is often shocking and is at the heart of the modernist movement. The Avant-Garde must do something that no one else has done before. Frampton sees Avant-Garde as a movement that risen and fallen in the 20th century. He eqates the importance of Avant Gaurde with the liberation, and the ability for Avante-Garde to make architecutre think out of the box, freeing design choices and style. He see the fall of avant-garde when it became rational and used to destory cultrue. Progress can either revolitionize or retard society. He sees Avant-Garde progress as retarding the soceity and destorying the culture that makes places unique. Frampton present a qoute from Andreas Huyseen: “The American postmodernist avant-garde, therefore, is not only the end game of avant-gardism. It also represents the fragmentation and decline of critical adversary culture.”

Frampton's defines arriere-garde as an architectural style that distances itself equally from the Enlightenment myth of progress and from the reactionary impluse to return to pre-industrial styles. He presents it as a possible way to counteract the damages of avant garde styles. Through arriere-garde he says that resistance to universalism can be achieved while at the same time "having a discreat recours to universal technique" This hybrid technique that does not look at architectural style as either fundamentals looking back to past ideal or embracing technology and optimization. This presents a way to move forward without retarding the society and generalizing it to a point of universalism throughout all the regions of the world.

Questions for Nov 13 Seminar

here are questions on Frampton for tomorrow's seminar;
1. what are strategies for connecting building to place per the reading?
2. what factors in modern building practice that contribute to 'placelessness'per the reading?
3. what is Frampton's critique of Venturi (and Scott-Brown)? do you agree?
4. do you agree with Framptons assessment that there is 'an absence of true public realm in the modern motopia"? explain
5. give an example of masse culture that you feels transcends 'mediocre civilization'.
6. define and contrast Frampton's definition of arriere-garde and avante-garde.
7. at times Frampton and Kolarevic make similar points about the importance of tactile experience; elaborate.
8. define and contrast scenographic and tectonic. give examples of each.
9. Frampton is critical of the 'scenographic' and 'informational' in this article written in 1983. since then there has been rapid development of digital technologies for visualization and fabrication. how might his argument evolve in light of this?
10. Frampton is highly critical of the universalizing nature of mass production. how might this argument evolve in light of digital fabrication technologies?

Chevron Concept

The main driving force behind my design included the exploration of gas station logos and ways to occupy them at different scales. Ideally, the occupiable space could triple as advertisement and signage for the specific brand.

The secondary driving force was my fuel type, Algae. Providing space for large amounts of algae to grow in a controlled environment created an interesting design challenge. There are spatial and biological needs to be fulfilled in the creation of my design concept.

Bio Diesel

Algoil Gas Station design is to serve as a fueling station of biological derived fuels from plant oils. Biofuel producers take plant oil extracts and through simple refining, create biodiesel. The history of biodiesels used in engine date back to the 1900s, as the original diesel engines were created to run off vegetable oils and not petro oils (History of Diesel and the Diesel Engine). Petro oils provided an economically cheaper alternative in the 1900s contributing to the wide adoption of petro based diesel engines despite of the original biofuel design. Today with political awareness of the dependencies of foreign oils and the advent of better biological extraction and production capabilities with algae as a feedstock, biodiesel use is in a renaissance (BioDeisel Growing a new Energy Economy). Biodiesel works in any current diesel engine and provides a quick transition to environmental energy for diesel cars and 18 wheelers (Guide to Hybrid and Alternative Fuels). Public perception of biodiesel holds back further development of this resource as people believe that biodiesel is not a viable alternative and could damage engines (Building a successful biodiesel business).

This gas station design informs, intrigues, and popularizes biodiesel in society. The gas station informs on the production of algae based biodiesel through the display of bioreactors producing biodiesel integrated into pumps and divider walls. This ornamentation does not hide the source of biodiesel by covering up pumps with advertisements and metal facades; instead, it celebrates it by incasing it in transparent safety glass. The canopes over the parking and pumps take the form of an algae cell with a green translucent material that allows diffused light to pass through as if looking through a microscope. the structures are meant to take the appearance of plants. the material are meant to look like metal work from far. The incorporation of fountain also provides water flow, which is necessary in any open or closed pond algae production system.

The over all site design provides a social sense of place giving people chance to interact and have small talk about biodiesel. Instead of eye height pumps that block the view of the person pumping gas next to the client, this design uses waist high pumps allowing for a conversation while waiting for the tank to fill to take place. In addition, the addition of café seating next to the bioreactor wall allows for a social setting in this public space that people visit often to refuel their cars.

In addition, the design makes a statement from above with rounded elements making it stand out from the squared neighbors. With advent of web mapping products like Google Earth, society sees the rooftops of buildings more often (Rooftop Advertising). Making a statement in plan view serves as signage advertising the gas station via online mapping products and GPS units.

project statement

un-transience 3x3

So basically, my project is composed of 3 distinct elements based on 3 broad concepts.

Elements:
1.) Core
2.) Skeletal Framing (3x3 Grid) / Membrane
3.) Panels (horizontal and vertical)

Concepts:
1.) Advertising (market forces, visual aggression, decoration, camouflage, meaning)
2.) Prefabrication / Flexibility (pervalent space, permanence through transience of parts)
3.) Program (redefine the parking garage, recharge node, creating meaning through program)

All Elements and Concepts are connected to each other conceptually and literally.
For instance:

Advertising is chaotic, however, within the visual framework of Panels, it has clearly defined boundaries - which accentuate Program.


Given the social and programmatic constants of a "recharge node":

Create meaning by injecting program.
Create permanence of use through prefabrication / flexibility - designing for reuse and rebranding.
Create interest / wealth by unleashing precisely concentrated, surgical strikes of advertising within visual frames.

Transmaterial

The main concept behind my proposal is uniting the user and the automobile within an amorphous, cloud-like structure. Since there are no issues with toxic fumes and combustibility in an electric station, there is an opportunity to allow the car and user to interact within the structure. The form will be clad with an inflatable ETFE membrane which will replicate the puffiness of the cloud. Additionally, this material will allow for lighting options which could internally illuminate the “cloud”. The purpose behind the more revolutionary form is to generate a new building type for the new energy source. Although the construction method is not yet determined, one possible solution is to use a series of ribs and flexible rods to form the skeleton of the structure to allow for dynamic forms and a contouring surface in which to adhere the ETFE.


Texlon-Pressure Inflated ETFE Foil Systems
Customized to almost any size
Resist average amounts of snow and wind loads
Does not allow dirt to collect on its surface
Will not deteriorate with exposure to UV
Air between plastic foils keep its surface in tension
Air supply failure does not lead to structural failure, just lack of thermal properties

Lightfader
Leaves behind a trail of light where someone has stepped
Low energy lamp lasts over 50,000 hours
Floor can be used with or without the light

Concept/Reading

The concept of my gas station is to create an interesting visual for drivers as they come towards it in order to grab their attention. I think the most helpful process we have done in my case is the exploration between decoration/information/form. This made me realize how “ordinary” the average gas station has become to us today. I think a major idea that has contributed to my design is from the article “Unbreathed Air” when Alison and Peter Smithson discuss the connection between themselves and their car. The car becomes a new type of “being” controlled by humans but forcing us to react to and view certain things. The viewing range of a human because more defined while inside of a car and that is what my design for a gas station is focusing on.

Post Mid-Review Project Statement

My project has been developed to be a direct response to a study of the physical necessities of cars when they are able to circulate freely in an area. Circulation should be the 'driving' force in the design of this particular type of architecture because gas stations are essentially a place for a several cars filled with people with different needs, some just want to park and go to the store, some peoples gas tanks are located on the right side of their cars and some on the left, some enter one way and want to exit the same way while others will surely have different desired paths, and some people forget which side of the car their tank is on and will have to make an unexpected switch up; and everyone's in a hurry! There are just so many variables, so my response has been to study the few things we can know for sure, the size of cars, and their comfortable turning radii, and develop an architecture that is a response to this. The rings above are meant to be a reflection of these circulating paths, as well as respond to the scale of activities that happen beneath them. Now that i've done these studies of what the car wants, i would like to go forward by letting the architecture push back a little bit and trying to manipulate the circulation a little to make it a smoother experience for the user.

I think this approach has been most influenced by the themes of associating the car with architecture in multiple ways that have popped up when readings talked about buckminster fuller and in my precedent research. His dymaxion ideas were heavily influenced by the production of cars. This architectural relation to car is present in LeCorbusier's writings and work as well. He said that architecture, like cars, needs standards to progress. And his early incorporation of the car into the architecture through garages and the use of the turning radus of the car to derive a form.

Gas Station Concept

The driving concept in my design has come from doing the component study from the gas station that we choose. My gas station was the Seven Eleven in Downtown. From that I knew that I wanted my gas station to have a relationship to the street and that I wanted a relationship between the spaces. I picked electric cse it resource that produces the least amount of waste and I think it could be very beneficial for our future if people were to choose Electric cars. I am using the relationship between my electric car station and my cafe to create a "car-fe."

The readings have been helpful for studying construction methods and materials. I particularly enjoyed the reading that talked about buckminster fuller and how he had a very organized and mathematical process behind his designs that seemed to be derived behind how he constructed the spaces. Integrating construction so that it is a crucial part of the experience of the space is important.

Concept Statement/Reading/Connections

Throughout the beginnings of my project, the primary driver has been the evolution of Compressed and Liquified Natural Gas as an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to gasoline in the long run. With large Natural Gas Reserves throughout the country, and less than 10% dependency on foreign sources, I found it to be a great basis for the future of car fuel. Also, a primary driver for the formal aspects of my project has been that of the turning radius of a car and the realms of the car and the person and how to separate the two in order to bring comfort and encourage people to leave their cars while refueling.

With Regards to the reading for today, I found three interesting and related topics:

Metals:

Triangulated Metal Composite Frame

Primarily, I thought that this just looked incredibly cool and showed a little bit about the transference of forces, which would go along with my displaying of the compression process for natural gas. It would make a great material for the rings themselves as it is very sturdy, especially with the dual layering.

Fabrics:

Jelara [Bi-Elastic Fabric Knitted with Teflon and Polyester]

Jelara is a flexible elastic fabric which combines the UV resistant qualities of Teflon yarn with a new highly elastic yarn with no polyurethane - because it degrades in UV light, ruining the possibilities of prolonged outdoor use.

Lighttex [Fabric Light Control Panels]

Somewhat of an alternative to my roofing solution, these screen like fabrics will provide shade, some privacy and enormous interest to the roof plane of my structure should they be used.

In terms of relation to other readings, I feel that my design correlates with the Staib reading in that he laid out the evolution of prefabrication and component/modular systems. I feel that my design is very much modular, much like the first iron frame constructions, in which single sectional (single plane geometries) pieces are made and brought to the site and connected in the remaining axis and made into a volumetric shape. In my design, pieces would be shipped as flat, rings which have no volume (outside of the hollow cavity used for running electricity and natural gas). The volume of the structure would come from connecting the pieces together with the tensioned fabric overhead after all of the pieces have been laid out, much like in Iron Architecture when the pieces would be erected and the final step was to simply put glass and iron facades on the structure. My rings will act as the structure in these examples.

Concept: Miguel

Throughout our research in both fuel and gas stations, I realized that when things like fuel change, the process of fueling, idle time, and circulation also change. My concept was to intensify these truths with architectural methods in order to create a mood that would be specific to a certain fuel and /or car. By changing methods of circulation, canopy height, relationship to the convenience store, and relationship to seating of the people at the gas station, I believe I've come across something that could be quite effective.

I also wanted to challenge the present marketing model of gas stations in that you have the most desired item at the back of the store, and use banners/signs/lights to lure people into the store. Instead, I wanted to use the refrigerated vending machine (vending wall) as the sign, and let the products market themselves when they are 6 feet away from the people in their cars.

As for the relationship to the readings, I think that I gained the most from Le Corbusier when he was speaking of "an architecture for cars" in that my design is based on a grid derived from a single parking stall, and also the average turning radius of a car. It is also based on what type of car people drive, and how long they will potentially be at the gas station, in order to effectively market to different consumer groups.

Station Concept

My concept centers on what associated programs will most benefit a site where users are charging their cars for a while. Trying to look to the future and how different the recharging process will be from pumping gas helped me to visualize that the associated programs of a station can be longer term than just buying a coke and a snickers. If you will have to be at a station for a long time to recharge, then there should be something there for users to enjoy while they wait. Americans are increasingly more impatient, so if they felt like there was something worthwhile to do at the gas station (other than just standing around as a car charges) they would enjoy the experience more.

Concept Statement- Nicole

Throughout our design explorations and research on gas stations, the main thing that I find most interesting is the relationship between the gas station itself and the associated programs. I want to explore the limits of these "extra" programs a see how they can effect and ultimately change the typical experience of today's gas stations. After the mid review, I realized that my associated program of cafe/wi-fi hot spot may not be the right program to really explore the potential for change of the gas station experience. I feel like I would get more interesting results by pushing the limit of this secondary program.

As for the connection to our readings, I have been trying to keep in mind Alison Smithson's ideas on the relationship between person, car, and road that she explains in AS in DS that was mentioned in the "Unbreathed Air" article. I think the experience of the station from within the car is an important one and keeping this in mind is key to my design.

Concept Statement - Eric

The concept of my station is utilize space efficiency while allowing a car to charge. By adapting the frame and body of an automotive lift, I am investigating how both cars and people can inhabit such economies of space. The size of each bay is approximately 8x7x14.5.

Concept statement

Doing the research on associated programs was the most helpful for me. In my research on food as an associated program, I found that the sales from the convenience store and/or a small fast food restaurant actually brings in the majority of the profits, while the sale of fuel is secondary. I have spent time looking at a chain of gas stations called "Sheetz" that has become like a case study for my project. At these gas stations, there is not only a fast food restaurant, but also food ordering kiosks outside that make the experience of putting fuel in your car more enjoyable. This idea of filling your tank and filling your stomach has become the driving force for my design.

I also learned through my research about vegetable oils being used to produce biodiesel. By incorporating this concept, I have created a connection between the fast food restaurant and the fuel being sold. In this way, I came up with the identity for the gas station that centers around the idea that nothing is wasted. The "values" of the gas station then became: Reuse, Recycle, Refuel.

Project statement

From the review, I got the vibe that they enjoyed my linear "rib-like" structure, and how you choose two sides to recharge your car. The idea behind my design is to set an iconic standard for the overall appearance of a electric station. Using the cantilevered idea of constant angled pylons and parking underneath it, I was originally influenced by the tensile structure used in my rest stop. Then exploring through constant modules of this cantilevered pylon, I was also inspired by my case study of Richard Horden's yacht house. The idea of parking underneath these angled shading and lighting experiences would be fascinating. My hope is to change the overall appearance of gas stations/electric stations, and make these dramatic "floating" beams a constant design used for the electric charge up. When we read the article regarding the House of the Future, they were trying to make a standard and image of what residential homes should become at one point in time. This is the same attempt I am doing.

Gas Station/Readings

It seems like there are two groups of people when it comes to every day activity. We have studied and learned about the person who is all about efficiency, who wants a gas station they can get in and out as quickly as possible. The other group of people are those who want some enjoyment and want to relax during their busy days. I agree with both of these groups. I think people can be of one mindset one day and the other mindset another day.

I think refueling the car is a routine. There is the routine of driving up, getting out, paying, fueling, driving away. However, I believe there is something special about a routine that a person can enjoy. In order to keep some sanity during the crazy semesters of schoolwork, I have little routines, like going to church on Sunday and getting my special coffee drink afterwards. I recently went to a ridiculous gas station, Tuscany at 360, and spent a few hours there, noticing that the people coming in to get wine and read the newspaper must do this every week. This coffee shop/wine bar/gas station/convenient store is extremely successful in combining convenience, fuel, and comfort.

I designed my gas stations to have comfort in a social gathering space. The comfort of having a nice space to sit in, with ample light, the best view from the site, and the comfort of being able to see your car. I think that if I am going to spend time in a coffee shop in one of these locations on a major highway, I would like to be able to keep an eye on my belongings and my car if possible. I understand that seeing the gas pumps from where I’m eating my coffee and bagel might make me lose my appetite, so I would like to place the pumps closer to the convenient store, and the parking behind the screen wall. From the outside, the screen could read as a sign for the coffee shop, and the canopy covering the gas pumps could act as an advertisement for the gas. By separating these programs, but still linking them by canopies, there is a successful link between gas and social space, but they are not the same program.

An idea that I haven’t gotten to develop as much yet, is the idea of prefabricated pieces delivered on site and assembled easily. In the readings about the House of the Future and the Dymaxion House and while building Jean Prouve’s Maison Tropicale, I have realized that using a grid that makes all the pieces light enough to put together easily. Prouve used a grid of 3 meters. I have used a grid of 5 feet because 10 feet is wide enough for a car to fit through and 5 feet brings the building to a personal scale. I’m hoping to develop my building method into a grid that will make sense for a car system and make sense for the people to use the social space.

Thinking back to the internal logic of my rest stop, I want the gas station to be a kit of parts on a larger scale. The parts include a screen made out of a grid, and planes for overlapping canopies. In reading about Corbusier’s five points of architecture, it’s clear that I have a similar idea that he had, and he used not only a “kit of parts” or specific building pieces, but he had five points that he followed. I am trying to follow a clear set of points so that my gas stations have a “sameness” to them.

The Road

The road, as Jackson refers to it in the “contemporary world” is a place defined by the event of driving. “Indeed, [roads] have often become for many the last resort for privacy and solitude and contact with nature. Roads no longer merely lead to places; they are places.” No other activity can safely take place on a road under normal circumstances. Like Jackson was saying, traveling on the road, whether it is for a long distance or a simple ten-minute drive to work, is usually associated as a peaceful experience. I think this is because the modern person is typically so busy that the unavoidable travel from point A to point B can be a nice break in their fast pace life. Personally, I don't like to be in the car for more than about 3 hours, the experience becomes monotonous, especially while driving through Texas. Also, if I am driving I prefer to be alone, it seem more peaceful that way and I feel more comfortable only being responsible for myself. I think the most enjoyable roads to drive on are the little country roads on a sunny day, with little traffic.

Question #2

Question #2:

How does Jackson define space vs land? how does he relate this to the road? how does this effect public and private place-making?

Jackson defines space as a sense of place, which is the result of habit or custom. He describes a sense of place as "genius loci" that it means the "guardian divinity of that place." Jackson feels that a space is defined by an event or by the result of habit or custom, like the same schedule. He doesn't think that space and land are the same, but that space can be defined by something other than area. Land, he says, wasn't set aside in the beginning for anything special. Land was formed into towns, using a grid with public squares or a main commercial street that acted as the public space. The land became an ideal possession and people wanted their own "space" within the land, so they would buy land far away from town to have a secret hideaway. Jackson shows that eastern towns were designed with public squares to be "space" within the buildings for relief, but western towns were designed without these spaces. The public "space" in western towns was the main street where people crossed paths and gathered.

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Event Specific Site

Every late winter in Houston,a 300 acre parking lot is converted into what is known to be the world's largest rodeo. The Houston Livestock and Rodeo event attracts 1.8 million over the course of 20 days each year.

The Reliant Park site in Houston was designed to specifically accommodate this large event. Located in a densely populated and urban district, surface parking dominates the landscape rather than parking garages. The city of Houston and private groups understood the need for the city to have a main square to serve as a gathering space for the 6 million people in the region, even if it isn't centrally located. While he pavement surrounding the structures in the park is also used for parking lots, it is very much a space for public use.

The flexibility of the site also allowed it to serve the region when nearly 40,000 people were evacuated from New Orleans in 2005 and were in need of temporary housing and medical treatment.

Question 4 car mechanics

what does Jackson describe as the culture of car mechanics?

the culture of the car mechanic is essentially the culture of the evolution of the American city. The mechanics described in Jackson's article and the urban planners that created the modern American metropolis are really just fantastical improvisors - simple trial and error will do. Ultimately, creating order out of chaos and making do with the realities at hand are the over-arching mantras that determine the layout of both an engine and the haphazard accumulation of human habitats that are the city. In this sense then Jackson's view of the mechanic in relation to his car is one of love and livelihood - in the vein of a romantic western cowboy and his trusty companion horse. Albeit Jackson's view mechanic does not address the fact that many unscrupulous mechanics have no love of what they do and instead the interests of economy and time become their reason they do what they do. Since architects and urban planners are ultimately at the mercy of the interests of their clients, this also warps their relationship with the city from one of a cowboy and horse to one of a mechanic and his tool.

Event =)

So, I know that put this question up for the football fans but when I read the question I thought of woodstock. Woodstock was a three day music festival (as I'm sure most of you know) that was held out on a 600 acre dairy farm. The space before Woodstock had little to no program, but for those three days it was transformed and defined by the music and people that attended. Most people there probably did not even know that they were on a dairy farm. It became defined by the program that evolved there for instead of it's original program. People literally would drive their cars out onto the land and would sit ontop of them to see the stages better. Awesome.

Auto Mechanics

J.B. Jackson depicts the culture of auto mechanics as a culmination of blue-collar workers, without much formal education, who desire to re-create an order. Mechanics also have an uncanny ability to improvise considering their working conditions. Additionally, they care so much for their cars that in turn, the cars can teach them certain life skills such as precision, accuracy, and decision-making. He stated “…[mechanics] wanted to be a part of the technological world around them.”

I think that this is somewhat of an idealistic description of what a mechanic should be. In reality, I believe that there are many mechanics that care significantly less about the automobile of the customer as they do for their own “pride and joy”. Since many mechanics don’t have much formal education and just want to make money and move through the customer line as quick as possibly, they tend to do a poor job and I rarely trust them with my own car.

Question #1

A drive-in movie theatre is a perfect example of where the place is designed by an event. It cannot be used during the daytime, and the only thing that makes up its architecture is the giant screen, a projector and a parking lot. Cars come when its dark enough, you tune your radio to the frequency that the movie is being broadcast at, and people enjoy a good time with friends.

Question 1

The first idea of an event that defines the space especially with the use of cars are Green Bay Packer football games. Our stadium is surrounded by almost a quarter mile of concrete for tailgating. Packer fans from all over Wisconsin gather around fires from the cold and eat brats and talk football. Cars of all sizes wield flags of green and gold. And if you dont claim a spot in this sea of metal and rubber, you always can park on the nearby lawns of green bay residents. It certainly is an event that attracts not only people with football tickets, but people who want to show their packer pride.

Regarding structure and spaces, the first efficient parking for cars for a year long event are the two structures right on the river by Michigan Avenue, Chicago. These are without a doubt the biggest parking garages i have ever seen with my eyes. And they are always full. People from all over the world come to chicago and walk down michigan avenue. These two garages fulfill the need for parking for the whole mile long walk of shopping. They are literally skyscraper parking garages. The structures are efficient, fast, and get the job done. Personally, even though they are older looking, I find them visually appealing with the different color cars sticking out of the ends.

Genius Loci

EVENT - ACL
an even that makes a strong genius loci is ACL. in the reading, the author says that a sense of place is created by a "lively awareness of the familiar environment, a ritual repetition, a sense of fellowship based on a shared experience". ACL is all of this. Each time we return to zilker for the event, we are greeted with a familiar environment of people being out in the sun to enjoy music. With familiarity, there is a comfort in returning, there is an expectation that we will have as good a time here as we did the day before, or the year before. Which brings me to repetition. It's a yearly event that goes on for 3 days at a time. 3 days is just long enough to get very comfortable with the atmospher that's set up there and then one can repeat the visit yearly. And finally, and probably most importatntly, is the sense of fellowship based on a shared experience. There is a level of friendliness that is uncommon in such a large group of people because we are all there for to enjoy some music. And then of course after ACL, people love to talk to other people who went. And as far as a shared experiences, this year there was the weather and wear of the park that was so unusual to experience. And now the thousands of people who attended this year, especially the three-dayers who watched the transformation of the grass to mudpit, will have that in common.

STRUCTURES/SPACES - UT CAMPUS
a series of strucctures and spaces that creates a sense of place is the UT campus. The master planning of the whole thing makes for coordinated architectural styles and materials as well as very nicely planned public spaces. When on UT's campus, there is a distinct atmosphere and when looking at pictures, you would know the UT campus from any other area because it has it's own sense of place.

BOTH - SXSW
Finally, a genius loci that is created by both architecture and events would be South by Southwest in Austin. The event draws a huge crowd and so for a week, the downtown area is flooded by pedestrians, many o f whom are musicians carrying instruments and most who are just music afficionados. The event creates a unique atmosphere in the city, and is also yearly, so there is a familiarity with this atmosphere. But the architecture of the city makes the event as well. This includes of course the many venues in the downtown area that accomodate for SxSW, as well as all the architecture that is experienced just from moving about the city for the event. It has a particularly strong effect because tthere is so much walking involved that one really experiences the city at the street level.

Question 1

An example of a place that I find defined by an event is a local baseball field were the only "architecture" is a back stop and a few benches. Places like these are usually only occupied in the evenings and the weekends, and during these times a sense of place is formed by the presence of community and ritual. Large groups of people come together to unite and promote local pride, and to just have a good time. When thinking of evening games, the imagery that comes to mind is a row of cars surrounding the field with their headlights on, lighting the field and forming a sense of union and participation amongst the players and the viewers. In the end, it is really the presence of people that define the space and atmosphere of these events. During the day, when the space is not occupied, the place is just a few pieces of metal structure in an open field and really nothing more.

Question #8

I believe that Americans are of two minds on how we ought to live. There is the group of people who believe that we should be living a ‘green’ lifestyle. These people would be less inclined to want to drive long distances to get to work or to reach a grocery store. They are likely to live in apartments in a city's center or at least in very tight community with their neighbors. The other group of people doesn’t care so much about how long it takes to get to work, they want to live away from all of the noise and congestion that tight urban spaces offer. It is not that the second group of people doesn’t care about the environment; they just care more about living in what they consider a comfortable situation. This will probably involve having a yard or a space that they can define as their own. The second group of people live a quiet lifestyle while the first seem to live a more busy one.

Question No. 1

State Fair of Texas, Fair Park, Dallas, TX

Fair Park in Dallas is typically a 277-acre crime ridden concrete playground. Decorated with Art Deco buildings from the Texas Centennial Exposition along with many new and old museums and exhibition buildings, the Fair Grounds is a deserted city for much of the year. The buildings which are used outside of the few weeks of the State Fair of Texas are all located on the perimeter of the complex, avoiding trapping one's self in a dangerous situation.

However, for 24 days every year the State Fair of Texas activates this area of South Dallas. An area where most people would not imagine of going any time of day and parking their car virtually unattended, becomes a place where people are paying upwards of $20 to leave their car in an area previously undesirable. The Fair Grounds is packed each day of the celebration with corny dog lovers and stock show entrepreneurs. However, the day the Fair closes, so does this area of South Dallas. The area becomes, again, what it truly is. The rides and the midway become dormant and stationary for 341 days until the fans return.

Parade

A Parade is temporary event which completely changes a typical road or path into a celebration. A route people are typically using to get from point A to point B, changes entirely. The vehicle also helps define the parade, by transforming into floats and entirely different forms.

Jackson's statement: "americans are of two minds of how we ought to live"

Q: Do you agree or disagree with Jackson's statement: "americans are of two minds of how we ought to live". explain your answer.

A: As Jackson addressed the concern of urban sprawl and the continuation growth of low density suburbs in our society, he looks to the mentality involved in a society that advocates and publicly envy European urban design. The paradox came from the negative public opinon about suburb and urban sprawl, with promotion of density and the expansion of public transit. He presents that even though there is this public atmosphere for our cities to move toward an European model of a density and rich public life, action speak louder then words, and urban sprawl continues.

Jackson's explanation is that Americans are of two minds. Publicly they see the negatives associated with American urban planning (heavy traffic, environmental impacts, waste of use of space), but Privately they all want "a piece of land, or small house in the country where we can lead an intensely private nonurban existence, staying close to home"

I agree with Jackson's point of view, but I think his range of application is limited. I have the opinion that all people secretly plan and hope to live in a private house with a piece of land they call their own, where they have no neighbors. European cities are a by product of the path of least resistance. Through regulation, high costs of living, and low supply of land for development; the urban planning took the shape it has. However people still dream of the private house where they can retreat from the world.

Americans had the luxury of cheap land, relaxed zoning codes in the country side, and an economic drive to develop. If Europeans had the same opportunity they would have American looking cities as well.

Question 1

The State Fair is an event that occurs once every year. It is customary for students and alumni alike to make the trip to Dallas in order to participate in the Texas-OU football game. The fair would not be the same without it. This entire area, including the stadium, is set aside for pure enjoyment, and because of that it carries a strong identity. In a way, it is rather temporary; a one-day event where families and friends pile into cars to head to the Cotton Bowl. In times such as these, the automobile represents the very things people sought after in creating it: adventure, experience, and freedom. In terms of public space, it can almost be thought of as a town square. A place where people come together for a shared purpose, and engage in social interaction. For fans supporting the same team, it is even a symbol of unity. It has a strong sense of place that welcomes both pedestrians and vehicles. The long awaited football game is defined by crowded streets, traffic, carnival rides, and even fried butter. The Red River Rivalry is cherished for its prominent history and unique atmosphere. For this reason, I wonder how the experience may change if the game is moved to a new location in the future.

questions on J.B. Jackson reading

THIS ONE IS FOR YOU FOOTBALL FANS: document a place defined by an event. extra credit for one involving vehicles.

how does Jackson define space vs land? how does he relate this to the road? how does this effect public and private place-making?

if the road is the first and most basic public space per Jackson's discussion of odology, does he seem to think this occurs when people are in cars? what do you think?

what does Jackson describe as the culture of car mechanics?

trace the impact of the truck on American architecture.

explain what Jackson means when he talks about how 'docile we have been in complying with the scientific definition of the highway as a managed authoritarian system of steady, uninterrupted flow'. why do you think this came about?

describe some of the pleasures or positive human/emotional responses that Jackson ascribes to highway travel. describe one of your own.

do you agree or disagree with Jackson's statement: "americans are of two minds of how we ought to live". explain your answer.

would you say jackson is utopian, realistic, or dystopian in his reading of suburban america? (the answer can be some a mix) explain

describe GENIUS LOCI made by an event or series of events; one made by structures and spaces? can you think of one that is made by both?

Smithson's and Le Corbusier

The Smithson’s thought of the House of the Future as a car itself. There were enthralled by the idea of mobility. Automobiles such as the caravan further encompassed this by organizing and containing everything one needs. This is what they tried to model their house after this idea of a mobile living unit. Not only did they take the shape and construction techniques from the car, but also the notion of freedom. Similarly, Le Corbusier’s houses represented the sense of modernity and functionality, which is derived from the automobile; however, they differ in the concept of mobility and ability to grow over one’s lifetime. The Smithson’s tried to create a self-embodiment which we so often associate with our automobiles.

#1

The Smithsons felt that cars were an expression of individual freedom and personal status. Essentially, the more luxuries offered, the higher social standing one was to enjoy, much like the associations of a larger home. During that era, the car drew much comparison to buildings and the Smithsons reinforced that view particularly with houses. Throughout the reading, features of the car's interior are compared to household appliances.

Today, the contemporary car is viewed in a completely different light. Having a vehicle is seen as more of a necessity rather than a luxury. With the improvements in mass production, almost anyone can enjoy a car of good quality, which dilutes the value of the status connotation. Based purely on anecdotal evidence, the car also is less likely to draw comparisons to buildings and homes and more likely to be compared to the human body or other natural forms.

Question 11

I think that hygiene is so important in this house because of the time period and the mindset of the people at that time. The world had just seen two world wars that had taken many lives, inflicted much economical damage, and torn apart many families and countries for good. The second world war saw the introduction of a power that could produced worldwide destruction: the atomic bomb.

So, in response to this, man (the architects) sought to return to a place free of the contamination of illness, war, and famine, and all the things that were associated with them. So, they in turn modeled a house after the Garden of Eden. The house, what is a single loop of spaces wrapped around a glass-enclosed "lung" of unbreathed air that one simply viewed and could not inhabit. From everything to mail slots that could be accessed from the inside to a process of admitting guests that involved a "decontamination" of sorts with a grille that send out a burst of air to remove dust. The house is a bomb-shelter, a hermetically sealed bubble that discourages against "the outside".

To me, it is interesting that the architects sought to protect themselves from the "outside", and create an idealized outside within the building. I think that the architects were not trying to protect themselves from the harms of mother nature, but protect themselves from the harms of a world that had been contaminated by man itself, and return to purity. That is exactly why the patio space could not be inhabited.... so that man could not contaminate it once again.

House of the Future vs. the Dymaxion House

The house of the future and the dymaxion house are comprable because they have very similar drivers. They are each an attempt at a dwelling that is mass produced, and easily transported. They are also similar in that they are clear reactions to the mentality of the people of the times in which they were designed. The effects of world war II are quite evident in the designs of both houses. Each seeks to be a sort of shelter. Each structure removes the inhabitants from the outside world and tries to make them safe from it. This is most evident in the houses efforts at a very sterile interior environment. A clear point of comparison is the curviness found in each place which makes it very easy to maintain, and in many ways maintains itself. The dymaxion bathroom is the best embodiment of this idea. The house of the future is made to have the ability to be cleaned by a damp cloth. Another main point of comparison is the clear inspiration by the car. Each house is always ready to move. The notion of being in a car is also captured by both houses. The interior is disconnected from the outside, protected. The sterilization of air is a direct parallel to air conditioning.

There is contrast where the car is concerned as well. With the dymaxion house, the car was used as inspiration due to its efficiency. This involves both the economy and speed of mass production as well as an efficiency of use of space. The inspiration of the car in the HOF seems to have more to do with its experiential qualities for the most part, rather than an efficiency of construction and cost. Another major point of contrast is the use of windows in each house. In the dymaxion house, there is a ribbon window that stretches around the entire structure, putting an emphasis on the horizontal world and surroundings immediately outside the house. It still conveys a strong feeling of enclosure, but allows a connection to the surroundings of the house. The windows are definitely about looking out from within the structure. From the outside, the windows don't give anything away, unlike the windows of the HOF, which are there solely to allow people to look in. This house is about turning in on itself and being completely self-sufficient. The windows are there against the architects' will and only further the sense of a little microcosm that is only concerned with itself.

Finally, there are just a few other points i'd like to mention. In each house, you get the sense that a new material is the driving force of the architecture. There are differences in execution here, though. Where the dymaxion house makes good, honest use of the plasticity of aluminum, the HOF is just a fake, made of plywood and coated to look like plastic. It is true, however, that these new materials were major players in the design of each house. The fates of these houses are fairly comprable as well. Each house "represented not infinite flexibility but a singular, self-supporting shape that would, like any other consumer product, be abandoned as soon as a new model came out". And it's true. Each house was practically thrown out before it was even given a real chance. Contributing to this is the fact that "the appliances [were] so closely integrated into the structure that to change the refrigerator would be like getting a larger glove compartment in a 'Volkswagen' dashboard - it would be simpler to get a new car". Each house's design was inheritely at a disadvantage because they could never be considered as viable options for long term living.

House of the Future: consumer product?

The House of the Future in itself, was an experiment in plastic, the new material of the time. Because the building was seemingly all plastic, and was filled with plastic products, it very quickly took on the nature of a consumer product. This is most evident in the fact that it was meant to be mass produced and transported easily on a truck. The problem with this is that the house had very limited flexibility. It was not composed of elements that could be combined in different ways. Instead, it was a series of shapes that were designed to fit together to create only one form. Because of its singular shape and limited options, it was destined, like any consumer product, to be replaced by the newest model. Colomina compares the House of the Future to a "glossy ad" which promoted a product that would be popular for a time, but would soon be abandoned in favor of a more modern substitute.

Question 12-1

In- The house purposefully had windows for outsiders to catch a glimpse of what was going on inside of the HOF. I think the idea behind this was to start futuristic trends. These views illustrated how futuristic couples treat and react to each other, their clothing style, and even displayed the latest technologies like a telephone loudspeaker and the answering machine. These views gave the outside world insight to what the future had to hold.

Out- The views from inside the house outwards seem to be non-existent, or just ignored. I feel that the point of the house is to escape from the current world therefore views to the outside were not desired.

Up- The view of the sky is important in the HOF. “The primary role of the house is to filter out the world and produce a quasi-theological encounter with an empty sky, a sky made private by the house.” This private sky contains “unbreathed air” which would be important for people who have exiled themselves from the world. This private sky also describes the house as a “hole”, an empty space while “the rest of the design was just a means of fixing that emptiness.”

Broadcast- The broadcasted view of the HOF was obviously taken from an outsiders view and therefore the ideas perceived are similar to those of the inward view of the house. In the Daily Mail the HOF was described as a “Wonderland.” The public laughed at the futuristic outfits of the inhabitants dressed in tights and mini skirts. It seems as if the overall public view of the HOF was that it was intriguing yet somewhat unbelievable and laughable.

Question 14 - Solar Decathlon vs. H.O.F.

The Solar Decathlon Competition is a competition setup by the Department of Energy where Schools of Architecture and Engineering design and build houses that produce all the energy they use (net zero energy). http://www.solardecathlon.org/

The competition strive for livable attractive designs of zero energy use housing, where the goals are to explore the energy efficiency, environmental impact, and energy sources to the extreme. The competition houses are sent to Washington D.C. where they make a solar village. The entries are open to the public in an outdoor museum style.

The competition and entries draw many similarities to Smithson's "House of the Future", exhibited in 1956, where it tried to imagine the house design of 1981. The Solar Decathlon motives are to cause students to think about the energy challenges that all people will face in the future. The solar house is a design that would fit this energy challenging future, made from cutting edge design techniques and materials. "The Solar Decathlon shows us what is possible today and points the way to a brighter future." -Steven Chu - Secretary of Energy

Rice University created the ZeRow house in the 2009 Competition that took a row house approach and is designed to be an affordable net zero energy use house. (http://www.solardecathlon.org/2009/team_rice.cfm) The idea was to make a house that the average person could afford, and keep it on a tight budget.

Like the H.O.F the ZeROW House is designed for mass production, transportation by truck, and to be put into tight neighborhoods. The H.O.F thought of all these aspects as important to the future, the ZeROW house team also felt mass production is important by making an affordable house. The transportation was required on their design due to the nature of the competition and having to transport it from Houston to Washington DC. As for the house design, it is designed to be placed in the 5th ward of Houston and donated to a poor family. The Row house design is perfect for the tight fit and integration into the neighborhood.

While the HOF showcases the use of new materials like plastics and designs like modern curves, the ZeRow House exhibits energy cheap and sustainable designs. The house showcases 'cores', the wet core and light core. The cores are the systems needed for the house to operate. The home is designed as a whole system, and the demonstration is the result of the whole house design concept.

As a design piece, both houses were only displayed for 3 weeks and then left the museum community. The ZeRow house is in practicle use, and the whereabouts of the HOF is unknown. The designs are made in a particular way because of this aspect. They are made with great detail to work to one goal. To showcase it at an event. The showcase has a theme and the design is tailored to that moment and theme. This leads to a very specific non universal design. Colomino stated "How do we look-back on a forward looking house?", but I think it is more appropriate to ask How do we look at a house designed for a particular exhibit or competition?

Question #2

The House of the Future was prefabricated in a factory and shipped on a truck to the site. This method of prefabrication does not allow for any manipulation by the owner, and causes each of the units to look the same. The house was not meant to be put together in many different ways, but to have one layout made by curving plastic shapes. This method of pre-fab takes individuality out of the house. It would be individual as far as it was an odd shape that most people had not seen before, but if many were bought in the same area they would all look the same. The user could not define which interior spaced preformed which functions because all of that was decided in the factory when it was being built. This way of doing pre-fab limits the number of people who would buy the unit.

Question 4

The House of the Future spoke more to the idea of object and consumerism than the idea of house and architecture. The house allowed the examination of plastic as a futuristic material. The article says the house was to be a "showcase of plastic" being the "dream material" of the time, that sought to bring out the characteristics of plastics rather than emulating traditional building materials. At first, the idea was American homes that aimed to be dream homes simply needed to fill their homes with plastic. Later on, the idea of the 'container' spread to the house itself. In this, the house is seen as an object, a consumer desired object, rather than a traditional house. The HOF was treated as "staged architecture," something to be viewed, much like the art inside it. The article asserts that "the HOF represented not infinite flexibility but a singular, self-supporting shape that would, like any other consumer product, be abandoned as soon as a new model came out." Much like any consumer product, the is always high demand for the newest design. The Apple Ipod is a current example. Nearly each year, a new model comes out, and immediately people want it. An updated design, a few new features are all it takes to be eaten up by the consumer driven desire for newness. As for this desire to cross into the House of the Future, it may not be as good. The house then becomes dispensable, just another object to collect and discard when it is out of date. Today, and for many years now, civilizations have been more sedentary. Nomadic need for temporary homes has been set aside for permanent settlements. Though the abandonable home fits the model for our consumer side, it does not serve the needs of the way we live.

Question No. 1

The Smithsons saw their car as a "moving living room" during a time of "'car inhabitation."' The car was used as an empty space - with limitless possibilities as to the use. The children would laugh and play and do all sorts of activities from drawing to playing games to do with the exterior world around (whether that be the car itself or the landscape through which it traveled). In addition, the adults - namely architects - sketched and photographed along the journey. The car was treated as precious material, photographed and captioned in the same manner as one would a permanent built home.

Today, not much has changed. However, we do not see the car as a "moving living room" but rather a separate entity within itself. Whereas with the DS and the old Volkswagen Beetle the experience had much to do with the journey, the exterior world around and all that surrounded it, the modern car has much to do with the interior and forgetting that you are driving a long distance haul or a short trip to the store for milk. The modern features of a car entail fine stitched leather, an abundance of digital media - radio, HD radio, Satellite radio, CDs, and even DVDs - and on many high-luxury cars a heavy tinting on the windows. The world around has been literally faded out. However, we do still see the car in terms of performance of a single limited task and means of construction. However, the scope of these criterion have expanded. The car must now not only get us from place to place, but it must also have an acceleration rate quick enough to beat the car next to us, as well as be able to play hours of digital music or cartoon shows on a monitor in the rear - or at times in the dash. It has become multi-functional. The attraction of the car has flipped completely interior. The car still needs to get us from place to place, it just has to do it faster and with less of the "bore" of a drive. Finally, the means of construction. In the past, details were exalted and praised, shown with artistry and pride. However, now seams and things are hidden away behind panels and layers of bond-o and paint. The obvious construction of the car has been veiled beneath a layer of sleek and shine. The car has become much like the House of the Future - molded in plastic although only in a sensory way. The car is much like the H.O.F., in that it is built in the most efficient manner and not at all in the way which it appears. The car has a rigid frame throughout, whether it be door panels or roof, it has structure that is not as smooth and flowing as the car would give hint to. It is simply a skin stretched tight over the frame and made to look at, like the unrealized cloud in the House itself.

Eames House comparison

The article talks about how the House of the Future allows for the materials that make it up define the spaces within the house. The HOF has rounded walls that become the floor and the ceiling without any noticeable transition to distinguish wall from ceiling from floor. This idea was revolutionary for it's time. People were not used to seeing buildings that looked "plastic-like." Unfortunately, HOF was not really made of plastic but instead was made of plywood that was covered with a plaster and a shiny protective coating to make it appear more "plastic-like." They wanted the house to represent a new style of living that gave the people who lived inside the house more privacy and created a more controlled environment, which is ironic because the smithson's idealized the caravan and this idea that people were free to explore and experience adventure.

Eames house, like the HOF, is one of the first examples of a house being made of a steel frame. It was a common material that was used for the war but the materials had never been implemented into a house before. Eames house was made of a steel frame that allowed for the Eames to have a live-work household, a household that blends the boundaries between living and working spaces. So that the Eames could have a very integrated household and lifestyle. The steel frame ALSO creates a relationship between inside and outside. It is often referred to as a buffer zone. The HOF is a solid structure that is not as permeable as Eames house, creating this separate environment.

#11

The era previous to the HOF was full of war, atomic bombs and overall destruction. I think in a sense the thought of having a constantly clean environment was always thought of to rebuild the new world after the war, and set a new standard of good hygiene. For example, the double shell doorway that had the dust blower in between represents a purity of entering a sacred space that should always remain clean from the outside world. Another example is the inner garden can't be accessible for people, trying to keep the outside world with dirt and contamination separately from the inner sacredness of the HOF. Hygiene was just engraved into that generation of houses due to the war the previous era.

Question #3

3. How is the Smithsons comparison of house and car different from Corbusier's?

Corbusier always placed luxury sports cars in front of his houses to emphasize modernity and minimalism. He looked at prefabrication of houses the same way as cars. The car was supposed to link the nature of construction of the house to the factory construction of houses. The Smithsons thought of the HOF as a car, because it had a "level of performance" like a car and the construction was similar to that's of a car.The HOF was supposed to be transportable by truck, and this new idea of mobility and freedom to move around the country was a new obsession at the time. The Smithson's linked their house to the car in it's level of mobility because they believed their HOF could move anywhere. The curvy walls of the house linked the house to a machine like airplanes or cars - something aerodynamic. The Smithsons said they wouldn't compare their house to a car like the Citroen like Corbusier did, but a Volkswagen Beetle. The Beetle is a practical, utilitarian car. The house was to function like a machine like the Beetle does because the machines inside fit into their slots like the engine fits into the Beetle. The Beetle represents a compact efficiency that the HOF had. Corbusier's Citroen was a machine, but it was shown next to his houses to show the modern designs and clean lines of his houses.